Saros’s Shorter Runs Help With Pacing, Story Beats and Readying for “Another Run,” per Housemarque

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From the very beginning, Housemarque’s Saros is an intense game, throwing players into chaotic battles with tons of enemy fire, a relentless ‘Eclipse’ mechanic, and huge boss fights. It’s definitely challenging, even with multiple save files and a new shield that helps manage incoming attacks. But after completing each area and returning to The Passage, the game provides a moment to breathe and recover.

If you’re familiar with Returnal, you’ll notice a big change here: instead of rushing into the next area, you now have time to pause and get ready. This means you can mentally prepare and also work on unlocking new improvements for your character.

Lead game designer Abebe Tinari explained to GamesRadar that they wanted to quickly get players back into the game after a difficult run. As a player of Returnal himself, he understood how frustrating it could be to immediately restart after a long, intense session – sometimes his hands would even shake from the stress of dying, making it hard to jump right back in.

It’s helpful to revisit the main story and talk to characters to refresh my understanding of what’s happening. That really helps me get back into the right mindset for another mission. Then, upgrading my armor makes me feel even more prepared and confident, like I’m ready to go again.

The game features shorter runs, sometimes lasting up to half an hour, which allow for moments that feel like episodes of a TV show. Narrative designer Khalil Osaimi explained this format was a big help when crafting the story. He described finding the right balance between gameplay and story development, focusing on both the overarching plot and Arjun’s character growth, then seamlessly returning to fast-paced action.

The game seems well-rounded, though as a big fan of Returnal, I’ll definitely miss the intense challenge of moving to a new area and immediately facing tough enemies. However, with its stronger story and fantastic voice actors, Saros has the potential to be a really compelling rogue-lite game, similar to Hades and its sequel.

Okay, so I’m super excited – Saros is dropping on April 30th, but it’s a PlayStation 5 exclusive. I’ve been checking out a lot more gameplay footage, and they’ve shown off the first area, Shattered Rise, and the second, Ancient Depths. It’s also really cool to hear how the developers at Housemarque built the Eclipse mechanic to constantly ramp up the intensity and challenge – they really wanted it to feel like things are always escalating!

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2026-03-30 16:12